


Sweet As Sugar

by burakkukarasu



Category: MY FIRST STORY (Band), ONE OK ROCK
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Slice of Life, Strong Language, Toru is a loser
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-12-06 20:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18224984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burakkukarasu/pseuds/burakkukarasu
Summary: Toru, a kitchen chef, lives a peaceful life next door to his two childhood friends Ryota and Tomoya until one day he encounters his new neighbour who is not only incredibly cute but also seems to be from a world very different from his own.And as if his crush wasn't enough, he also gets haunted by an equally cute cat.





	1. Prada & McDonald's

**Author's Note:**

> *rises from the dead* Hi.
> 
> Fun fact, this was only supposed to be a one shot but as I was writing, the story and setup grew so much onto me that I decided to turn this into a multi-chaptered work, also because planing and writing was too much fun. I know that some of you might be looking at this now and wonder "why this pairing" but listen, I'm a big fan of both bands and always down for experimenting. And let me tell you, Toruhiro just keeps on giving. On that note, this is actually going to be my first longer lighthearted slice of life story, never would have guessed that taking a break from angst could be so refreshing lmao. That being said, I hope that those of you that follow me for my other works still decide to check this one out as well. <3

Toru liked his apartment. Working as a chef, he liked his open kitchen with more than enough room for him to cook his meals after a long day of work (or alternatively, heat up the leftovers he could bring home from the restaurant). Not that much of his creation would remain once his neighbours (and, to their defense, childhood friends) Ryota and Tomoya dropped by. Toru liked his living room with all its wooden shelves that offered space to his CDs and vinyls, everything aligned properly, sorted by artist and release year. The fluffy carpet in front of his worn out leather sofa, originally a belonging of his father, offered a preferred spot for him to sit whenever he played his white Gibson guitar that was a heavy contrast to the otherwise darkly tinted furniture.  
  
Toru liked the big windows he had everywhere. Windows that allowed the sun to tint his walls in warm colours during the later hours of the day, every one of them a perfect place for him to watch the city below him. And of course he loved his balcony. Despite being a chef, Toru definitely wasn’t born with a green thumb as the dying tomatoes, although evenly planted and carefully loved, would agree. Ryota made fun of his ‘vegetable graveyard’ ever so often, Tomoya would comment it was probably the smoke of Toru’s cigarettes that killed them, but he ignored both of them. Considering their own chaotic apartment where not only red vegetables would decide to give up on living, the two were definitely in no position to judge Toru.  
  
Toru liked his apartment and he liked the peacefulness of living there. However, someone, somewhere must have decided that one got bored eventually.  
  
“Delicious as always, chef.” Toru watched Ryota happily shoving another forkful into his mouth from the other side of the kitchen, leaning against his red refrigerator. A magnet that read ‘LONDON’ was barely able to hold a shopping list that had stayed ignored for days until Toru had used up the last roll of toilet paper just that morning. Now he cursed his lazy past self for not having done the groceries and his dumb present self for having been stupid enough to open the door for his best friend that now ate away half of his lunch.  
  
“You guys should cook for yourselves once in awhile instead of robbing other peoples stocks.” Toru watched Ryota raise an eyebrow and grin.  
  
“You really think pasta and rice alone would be nutritious enough to keep us alive?” The man merely shook his head and mirrored his friend’s expression. It would be a lie if he said that he hadn’t grown accustomed to either Ryota or Tomoya (usually the both of them) coming over and taking whatever they decided was able to satisfy their hunger from his fridge. Or rather, his co-workers seemed as though they knew how to deal this very behaviour of his friends because Toru felt like the boxes he was allowed to take home had grown in size ever since he first mentioned the food related robbery to the kitchen staff.  
  
“With the amount of shit you two eat on a daily basis, I don’t think my food makes much of a difference anyway,” Toru said, approaching Ryota. “Hand me a fork.”  
  
“Are you questioning our lifestyle?”  
  
“Ryota, _everyone_ in this building is.” The man sitting at Toru’s kitchen table pouted and handed his friend the requested cutlery. Ryota and Tomoya were loved and appreciated by all their neighbours for their politeness and cheerful attitude, but it was no secret that the two of them were a chaotic duo, especially not when loud music blasted through the hallway in front of their apartment on a Saturday night. Because of that it was all the more surprising that the two of them both worked in high positions that required being properly organised. Toru guessed they projected all their redundant energy into being a mess off company grounds so they wouldn’t lose their income due to getting caught carrying Nerf Guns in the office.  
  
“No one's ever complained though.”  
  
“Because your right neighbour is me and Ms. Singer on the other side is practically deaf, everyone else would have already told the landlord.” For a few seconds Ryota considered Toru, a piece of broccoli falling from his fork. Then he shrugged and cracked a smile. Toru snorted.  
  
“I guess.”  
  
Eating straight from the container, they spent the following minutes in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company and the (Toru was proud of his team) delicious food. He knew Ryota had been occupied with a project for work the past few days, therefore the two had not been able to converse much.  
  
“How’s Tomoya? He at home?” Ryota made a “hng” sound before swallowing.  
  
“Poor dude was assigned with doing the presentation for that big meeting. Saying he’s stressing out is an understatement. Guessed I’d better leave him alone for awhile.” Toru remembered them mentioning they would have negotiations with some important company soon. The two of them had already seemed pretty tense at that point, which was rather untypical for them. This must be something big.  
  
“Sounds like he’s the one needing the food you are eating right now.” Ryota side-eyed him. He leaned back and inhaled, ready to present his arguments on why he also deserved the treat when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.  
  
“Since when does Tomoya knock?” Toru wondered if it would be untactful to ask his neighbour for one or two spare toilet paper rolls although he was already drowning in work as he got up from his seat. Behind him he heard Ryota mumble something about telling Tomoya that he was not in charge of cleaning duty and in his mind Toru noted that seemingly none of them ever was, before opening the door.  
  
It wasn’t Tomoya standing in front of him, nor was it any of their neighbours, but looking at the person in front of him Toru hoped they better lived close by.  
  
_So fucking cute_.  
  
“Please help me!”  
  
“Is it Tomoya?” Toru ignored Ryota’s voice coming from the kitchen as well as the stranger’s, though the latter was more unwittingly than intentionally.  
  
He was unfamiliar with the man in front of him, didn’t even think he had ever seen him before. He seemed young, or at least younger than Toru, black uncombed hair falling messily into his forehead, cheeks and ears red, maybe from running or taking the stairs (their elevator had been broken since weeks now and at this point none of them thought they would ever get it fixed again), maybe from the chilly February temperatures. Contrary to his wild appearance he was well dressed. An unwrinkled white button-down shirt with rolled up sleeves tucked into dark blue slacks, an expensive watch adorning the stranger’s wrist and shoes polished so thoroughly Toru wondered if he could see himself if he bowed down.  
  
The man looked at him through almond-shaped dark eyes and Toru shamelessly considered the rest of his face. He knew he looked at those plump pink lips for a second too long and almost lost himself when he spotted the moles on his cheek. Who was this adorable young man and who allowed him to...wait, why was he here anyway.  
  
“Excuse me?” Toru finally answered, probably way too late. There was too much going on in his head, too many thoughts crossing his mind for him to be able to grasp one and hold on.  
  
_This is bad_.  
  
The man took a step back as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and gave a small chuckle.  
  
“Oh God, I’m so sorry, that’s not how I should start this,” he said, avoiding eye contact with Toru who, in contrast, was still staring. He was thankful that Ryota wasn’t able to see what a fool he was making out of himself from where he sat, and Toru would most definitely not feed him with details on his awkward behaviour. The man looked up again. “I’m Hiroki Moriuchi.” Toru had expected them to shake hands, however, Hiroki did not reach out and it took him a moment to realise that the lacking gesture didn’t mean that he wasn’t supposed to say his own name now.  
  
“I’m Toru Yamashita.”  
  
“Mr. Yamashita,” when Hiroki gave a small bow Toru did the same and wondered where his brain cells had gone off to. He should have concluded from Hiroki‘s name alone that something as Western as a handshake wasn’t to be expected, especially not when his own name spoke of Japanese origin as well. He guessed based on that that Hiroki had assumed this to be the appropriate way of introduction. Which it was, except Toru had not only forgotten how not to embarrass himself but also everything his parents had ever taught him about their culture. This was going fantastic. “I have a favour to ask of you.”  
  
“Oh, sure. What is it?” Hiroki’s face lit up and Toru felt as though he was looking into direct sunlight. Hiroki was so pretty. “Also, please call me Toru, Mister makes me feel old.” He smiled at Hiroki and the other laughed.  
  
“I get that, feels a little too formal for neighbours anyway, doesn’t it?”  
  
“Neighbours?” Toru tilted his head and leaned against the doorframe. Hiroki’s expression softened.  
  
“Yeah, that’s part of the reason I’m here. I moved in yesterday and now the landlord wants to come over. Check if everything’s okay I guess.” Toru had spent the whole day at work, Fridays were chaotic, so naturally it’d go past him if someone had moved in in his absence.  
  
“Ah, I see.” Hiroki was his new neighbour. He lived close by. There was a potential of them meeting in the hallway, or staircase, or parking lot.  
  
_Thank you, whoever decided it was time to reward me for being a decent human being_.  
  
“I know this is violation of the house rules but there was no way I could give away Prada before coming here.” Hiroki sounded urgent and Toru was honestly confused about where this conversation was going.  
  
“Prada? Like the brand?” Toru had seen The Devil Wears Prada a few years back (“every gay man needs to watch this one at least once”), so he wasn’t entirely clueless, but that’s pretty much where his knowledge on fashion ended. He earned good money, sure, but the clothes in his own wardrobe were certainly not worth a whole months loan. Or two, for that matter. He considered Hiroki again and as his eyes caught sight of the silver watch again, he couldn’t help wondering about his employment instead.  
  
“Yeah, she’s my cat,” Hiroki specified and in his head Toru imagined a white fluffy cat with a $5,000 collar. “Can you take care of her? It’s only until tomorrow, I’ll pick her up first thing in the morning. Please?” Hiroki had Toru wrapped around his finger since the very first second, Toru was painfully aware of that, and it didn’t help at all that the other man was looking at him through big pleading eyes now. Whether Hiroki knew about his cuteness or not, he for sure knew how to play his cards right.  
  
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Toru mumbled and Hiroki shook his head.  
  
“Don’t worry, I put food and her favourite toy into the bag too, she’s a quiet girl and has only ever been in my apartments so you don’t have to let her out or anything. I promise you, she’ll be gone before you even wake up.” Toru bit back a comment on how that’d be housebreaking and instead sighed in defeat. He should be able to survive one night.  
  
“Alright, I’ll do it. I’m not the best with animals though.” Again, Hiroki beamed at him before bowing down. At first Toru assumed he wanted to express his gratitude but to his surprise Hiroki pulled something from the shadows instead. A grey bag was placed into his arms, a lot lighter than expected. From the small side window Toru could spot white fur and was rather pleased with himself for his right guess.  
  
“Everything she needs is in that bag, I promise I won’t be late.” Now he bowed down to show his gratitude. Deep. “Again, thank you so so much, Toru. I have to go now because I still have to unpack the remaining cartons.” He waved at Toru who didn’t fail to notice how nice his name sounded falling from Hiroki’s lips as he climbed up the stairs. Sighing, Toru retreated into his apartment, ignoring his beating heart and (probably) red cheeks.  
  
When he stepped into the kitchen, Ryota looked up from the _empty_ food container.  
  
_You son of a bitch_.  
  
“Who was that?” He asked, examining Toru. “And what _is_ that?” Placing the grey bag on the kitchen table, Toru took his seat again, not without roughly shoving the container away. He glared at Ryota who either seemed oblivious to his staring or decided to ignore it as he considered the bag.  
  
“We have a new neighbour,” he started, thinking about whether he should place an order online or make Ryota go to McDonald’s for him. Definitely the latter. “He asked me to take care of his cat because the landlord is coming over.” He didn’t need to look at Ryota to know he raised his eyebrow in confusion.  
  
“Toru,” he started but was interrupted by the other sneezing. Toru already knew this was bad, he didn’t need to hear it. Especially not from Ryota who could smell a disaster from miles away. He had only talked to Hiroki for 5 minutes, and it already seemed as if the other held him in the palm of his hand. Toru rubbed his face and sneezed again. This was really really bad. “You’re allergic to cats.”  
  
“Why do you support a total stranger in his criminal activities but made me and Ryota give up on our pet?” An hour and a half after Hiroki’s visit Tomoya had decided to come out of his cave just in time to join in on a discussion about Toru’s love life. Ryota had actually gotten them McDonald’s ( _them_ , as if ¾ of the container had not been enough) and eating his grilled chicken burger, Toru did his best to ignore the ongoing conversation in front of him.  
  
“Because he’s got it real bad for him,” Ryota said and grinned in Toru’s direction. Toru shoved french fries into his mouth. “Blushing like a teenager.”  
  
“We’re talking about Toru?”  
  
“I know right, I was like ‘wow wait what happened in those 5 minutes?’” Taking the cat toy from Tomoya, Ryota tried to lure Prada out of her hideout from under the sofa by wiggling the colourful feathers in the air. The cat followed his every move with her blue eyes, ready to attack her prey any second. Toru had only been partly right about her looks, actually. Though most of the cat’s body was covered in white fur, her tail, ears, nose and legs were in a shade of dark brown, making it look like she was wearing boots. Apparently a ragdoll if one was to believe Tomoya who immediately fell in love with the small creature, completely ignoring Toru’s constant sneezing.  
  
Tomoya turned in his direction. “Toru, when was the last time you got laid, this sounds pretty desperate.” Ryota snickered shamelessly at his friend’s remark and made Prada jump on Toru’s fluffy carpet. Toru made a mental note to wash the carpet as soon as the cat was gone, and very slowly put his burger down. For effect.  
  
“Alright, first of all,” he started, licking sauce off his finger. “You two were insisting on keeping a fucking snake.”  
  
At that, Ryota too turned around. “She was tame!”  
  
“She didn’t even have her teeth anymore.”  
  
Toru watched Prada climb his sofa and wondered if he’d ever be able to get rid of all the cat hair ever again. “It was a constrictor.”  
  
“My point still stands.” As if he could read Toru’s thoughts, Ryota carefully took the quietly protesting cat off his sofa and placed her on his lap. Toru silently thanked his friend. It had been a few years ago that one of their acquaintances wanted to sell them his constrictor after Tomoya and Ryota had voiced their interest in reptiles (which was genuine but then again they were interested in anything that moved and made noise). Naturally, Toru had immediately intervened and told the seller that unfortunately they weren’t allowed to keep animals in their apartment and therefore couldn’t take the snake. Tomoya’s and Ryota’s indignation had been big, but to this day Toru had refrained from telling them that he had been positive the two of them would have been the first ones to get killed.  
  
“You can barely keep yourself alive, how were you going to look after an animal?”  
  
“Hello? Do you see how well we’re taking care of Ms. Prada here?” Tomoya gently took the white ball of fur from Ryota’s lap and held it up. The cat meowed but didn’t protest any further. She really was a calm and behaved lady.  
  
“Except you cannot cuddle and play ball with a constrictor but go on,” Toru noted in an unfazed way and took a sip from his drink. He grimaced. Diet Coke, he hated Diet Coke.  
  
“Toru, stop being a dick.”  
  
“Speaking of that,” Ryota rose from the floor and approached Toru, taking the drink that the other obviously didn’t want with a triumphant grin. “What’re you gonna do about Hi-ro-ki?” Toru threw a french fry in his direction. He didn’t need to be reminded of the situation. Was he head over heels for the other and felt like a stupid hormone ridden teenager? Yes. Did he want him? Definitely. Was he confident enough to do something about it? Absolutely not.  
  
“Listen,” he began, suppressing a sneeze. “I don’t even know if he’s into guys.”  
  
“Don’t you have this...what was it called again?” Tomoya joined them and sat next to Ryota. The little bell that Prada wore on her collar could be heard from under the sofa again. “Gaydar?”  
  
“Oh yeah, because we all know how splendidly Toru’s works.” Toru’s eyes shot poison darts at Ryota but the younger kept going. “I wish I got a dollar for every time he tried to get into a straight guy’s pants.” Tomoya laughed out loud and Toru wished the ground underneath his feet would open up and make him disappear into the darkness.  
  
“It happened like three times…” he mumbled and took a bite from his burger that had suddenly lost its taste. Theatrically, Tomoya brushed a tear away from under his eye, still laughing as he remembered some of the nights they were actually able to convince Toru to go clubbing with them. During their high school years, Toru had been lucky almost every time they went out, now he was occupying himself with work most of the time. When asked about it, he would say that he was getting too old for clubbing and that one night stands had never really been his thing, apparently.  
  
“That’s a lie, but it still proves that it’s not working.”  
  
“Why don’t you ask Tyler?” Tyler was a college friend of Toru’s and had been his wingman for the 6 months that he had spent on campus.  
  
“First of all he lives too far away, second of all I can’t just randomly introduce him to Hiroki, like, that’d be too weird.” Prada meowed behind them as if she was agreeing to what Toru said. “Besides, I already behaved like a total creep, I’m sure he’s weirded out.” He pressed his hands into his eyes and shook his head, fighting off the embarrassing memory.  
  
“Look, even if he didn’t see you from your best side today, he’s still gonna come over tomorrow to pick up his cat. Impress him then.” Tomoya suggested.  
  
“How?”  
  
“Dunno, prepare breakfast or something?”  
  
Toru put his hands down again and sighed. “Hey, I accidentally cooked breakfast for two people, mind helping me finish?”  
  
“Toru, are you even trying?” Ryota didn’t bother asking if Toru still wanted the rest of his burger and reached for it. Tomoya watched him, Toru didn’t say a word. He reconsidered his friend’s plan. If he actually was to prepare breakfast when Hiroki came over he could still invite him, saying that he had enough ingredients for two and wanted to get to know him better anyway. Since they were neighbours now, of course. And maybe, if he played his cards right, he could also find out if there even existed the possibility of romance.  
  
“No, I’ll do it. The breakfast thing I mean.” There was nothing to lose anyway. Not even reputation. Tomoya grinned and gave his thumbs up.  
  
“That guy must be real cute for the Toru we know to be so rattled.” He wiggled his eyebrows.  
  
“You know what,” Ryota stuffed the last french fries into his mouth and pulled out his phone. _Nasty_ , Toru thought. “What’s his name, I’m gonna stalk him on Facebook. Wanna see that adorable face.” Tomoya made a surprised “oh” sound and leaned over his friend’s shoulder, both of them looking at Toru in expectation.  
  
“Uhm…” the hesitation was for show, of course, Toru already had the name memorised. “Moriuchi. Hiroki Moriuchi.”  
  
The room fell silent for a few seemingly endless seconds, which was an achievement considering there was a jiggling cat and two guys that Toru rarely ever saw speechless less than two metres away from him. Both of them stared at him, Tomoya’s mouth still agape, and if the atmosphere had not been so tense for whatever reason (and if Ryota had not finished his meal), Toru would have tried throwing french fries at him like they always did with popcorn when one of them fell asleep during movie night. Toru looked from one to the other and back, saying he was confused was an understatement. Was something with Hiroki he didn’t know about? He could neither remember hearing the name Moriuchi in association with recent crimes on the news, nor did he know any celebrity with that name. However, upon remembering Hiroki’s watch he suddenly imagined him to be close friends with the Kardashians. _The hell_.  
  
“Dude,” Ryota breathed while Tomoya’s face had not moved at all. “This is really bad.”  
  
“ _What_ is really bad?” Now Toru was genuinely concerned. What had he gotten himself into?  
  
“The company we’re currently negotiating with, the CEO is Shinichi Moriuchi.” Toru blinked a few times in surprise. If Hiroki was from a wealthy family, the expensive accessory made sense, and it also made sense that he had only moved in recently if his company (or rather his dad’s) was just starting their negotiations. Toru hadn’t expected to intervene with his friends’ work in any way, nor was he planning to. However, he also did not plan on giving up on Hiroki just because of his status or background (maybe he still knew the Kardashians after all).  
  
“Okay, and?”  
  
“ _And_?” Ryota and Tomoya spoke in unison.  
  
“Do you know how important this cooperation is for us?” Tomoya said and got up. Toru could see now what Ryota had meant earlier when he said that Tomoya was “stressing out”. “Imagine if you and that guy hook up or something and you end up breaking his heart, we will be the ones having to live with the consequences.” Charming how his friend did not consider his own possible heartache for even a second.  
  
“I don’t even know if there is any chance of me hooking up with him yet, so sit down and chill.” Tomoya still seemed distressed but he did as he was told and sat down again.  
  
“Dude listen,” Ryota sighed. “Of course your personal happiness is important and all but I’d still appreciate of you kept in mind that we are dependent on this job.” Toru couldn’t really understand why his friends were being so dramatic about the whole ordeal, it wasn’t as if a single conversation with Hiroki could potentially ruin the whole company deal. At least that’s what he believed.  
  
“You make me sound like an asshole that’s playing with people’s feelings.”  
  
“No! No, I’m sorry,” Ryota scratched his cheek. “I’m just concerned.” Toru took offense to that.  
  
“About me or your job?” He asked and Ryota’s face fell. He considered the empty burger packaging instead of meeting Toru’s eyes. A few seconds of silence passed.  
  
“Toru, sorry,” Tomoya had regained his composure and sat straight in his chair. “The situation in the office is crazy, everyone’s going wild over this potential deal and although we’re trying to leave that stress behind after work, it’s still getting the best of us occasionally.” He nudged Ryota when the other showed no reaction, making him nod. “Your private affairs are none of our business, naturally.”  
  
Toru felt something soft against his leg and had to sneeze the second after.  
  
“Bless you,” is what both his friends mumbled, ashamed of their behaviour. Toru sighed and picked Prada up. He immediately felt his eyes itch but had to thank the small creature for trying to cheer him up after all.  
  
“I won’t be messing this up for you guys,” he said, stroking through the thick fur, making Prada purr. Toru looked at his friends through narrowed eyes. “Also I’d appreciate some faith from you that _I_ am not going to be the one getting his heart broken.”  
  
It seemed like those magical words had broke the tension when Tomoya and Ryota bursted into laughter. Prada meowed.


	2. Sweatpants & Pancakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah, it's been a few months, hasn't it-
> 
> Although I already had the whole fic planned out before I had even started writing, life got in the way shortly after I posted the first chapter (that and my lacking motivation at times) but I hope that the next update won't take as long this time! Thanks again for everyone dropping by to check out this work, and also thanks to Julia for helping me with all my insecurities regarding this story!
> 
> This chapter has not been beta-ed by a native, therefore I apologise for possible grammar errors.

The night had been awful. Apart from his thoughts that were still drifting off to yesterday’s encounter more often that Toru would like to admit, and him going through the breakfast plan until he felt like he had all possible scenarios covered because he sure as hell wasn't gonna embarrass himself again, a little after 1 am Toru had started to hear scratching noises on his door. He hadn’t gotten much rest at that point, being as far away from a restful night as he was from finding a solution to what he had gotten himself into. At first he had kept his eyes shut, trying his best to ignore the scratching sound and focus on what reached him through his open window but eventually he had felt sorry for the small creature that was all alone on the other side of the door.  
  
“I know you’ll make me regret this,” he had murmured and watched Prada circle his bare feet. The fur had been tickling his skin but also radiated a comforting warmth. “You’re the first lady I’ll be sharing this bed with, how do you feel about that?” he had said calmly before eventually falling asleep with Prada warming his thighs.  
  
Toru turned off his alarm, groaning. He had regrets. A lot of them. First of all was sharing his bed with an animal something he knew he wouldn’t become a fan of, considering how he was lying on the edge of his mattress, having avoided to hurt the small body in his sleep at all costs. Not only was he sure that he had bent his spine in ways so unhealthy that night, he would feel it the entire next day, one of his legs had also not been covered by his blanket. Now it was hanging off the bed and felt ice cold. Besides his bad posture, Toru hadn’t failed to notice the cat hair covering the grey fabric of his bed sheets, especially not after his scratching throat had made itself apparent. He never made good decisions after midnight.  
  
The comfortable warmth on his back was still present and it didn’t seem like Prada was bothered by the loud ringing of his alarm at all, instead he could even hear her purr and cuddle closer to him. Toru had no idea why he had thought that letting a cat sleep in his bed was a good idea when he was allergic to them, for God’s sake. But Prada was adorable and maybe, in a way, she reminded him of Hiroki.  
  
Staring at his open window that let the early morning sun illuminate his bedroom, he tried to ignore his stuffy nose and itching eyes that he guessed were bright red, but didn’t dare to look into a mirror for confirmation right away. He remembered his breakfast plan and rolled out of bed, causing Prada to meow in disagreement since she wasn’t too keen of her approaching solitude. She looked at Toru who only gave her a tired smile.  
  
After feeding Prada and taking a shower Toru noticed that he actually didn’t look as horrible as expected. Although his eyes seemed at little more swollen and teary than what would have been considered normal, he was positive he could approach Hiroki without looking like four days into a flu. The thought of the man made Toru sigh into the emptiness of his kitchen and consider the pan in front of him. He knew that he shouldn’t get his hopes up, especially not when he couldn’t even be sure whether there was any chance of dating yet. Toru was behaving as if this was his first crush and he knew it, but it had actually been awhile since he was last interested in someone in a way that went beyond physical contact.  
  
Toru heard Prada jingle from the living room when he cracked two eggs open. He’d try use this Sunday to learn more about Hiroki, even if it was just a little. Anything other than business related information that he could also gather from Ryota and Tomoya he would count as success. Toru was not fishing for specific information although certain questions bothered him more than others of course, but any detail, no matter how minor it was, would help him get to know Hiroki. What music did he listen to, was he into horror films? Was Prada his only cat, where did he live before? Was he into sports, what food was his favourite and what did he not like?  
  
The latter made Toru stare into the pan where the two previously cracked eggs fried as he had been about to sprinkle some salt on them. What if Hiroki was vegan? What if he would refuse to have breakfast with Toru because of that and Toru would miss his single opportunity to learn something about his new neighbour. He eyed the pancakes that were slowly turning golden in another pan and contemplated whether he should dare lie and say he used banana instead of egg just in case Hiroki actually turned out to avoid consuming animal products. It was a bad idea, an idea that was going to be doomed. He shook his head and felt Prada circle his ankle. Considering the cat with a smile, he bowed down to ruffle the fur behind her ear.  
  
“Don’t you wanna tell me what Hiroki likes? That’d save me a lot of trouble.” Prada’s answer was merely a purr and Toru sighed. He knew he was overthinking and he was aware of this leading absolutely nowhere, yet he couldn’t stop worrying and that very fact made him even more concerned. Picking up his phone, Toru decided that 2000s music and 2000s music only would be able to somewhat distract him from his nowhere-leading train of thought. He remembered Hiroki saying that he would pick Prada up before he even woke up and chuckled as he noticed it to be a quarter past 8 already. Carefully maneuvering the finished pancakes onto the plate, he set everything on the table and almost forgot he only needed one pair of cutlery. For now.  
  
Prada noticed the approaching presence before Toru even heard the door knock and jumped on the carpet, stretching her small body as though she wanted to appear as adorable as possible for whoever was about to enter the apartment, not even leaving Toru the time to sigh in defeat upon realising that he would have to get not only the carpet in his living room cleaned from potential allergy triggers but the one in the dining area as well. The man flinched slightly at the knocking sound, all sorts of thoughts and feelings that he had previously tried his best to sort out in order to be able to hold a proper conversation with the visit he was about to have suddenly jumping wild in his head. It took a second knock, this time a little louder, to get him out of his freeze and immediately stumble towards the entryway as he took notice of the fact that Hiroki was considerate enough of the present time not to ring his doorbell.  
  
In his mind, he heard Ryota laugh and immediately shoved the mental image of his friend’s grinning face watching Toru lose control over his hormones into the far corner of his brain.  
  
In Toru’s imagination he had been greeted with a sweetly smiling Hiroki as soon as he opened the door, wishing him a good morning before asking the other to come in and eventually join his oh so coincidentally just prepared breakfast. However, encountering a Hiroki that was bowed down so deep Toru feared he might lose balance if someone was to bump into him just slightly startled the man and had him stare at the other dumbfoundedly, all plans that he had made in advance forgotten. Instead, for whatever reason, the scene in front of him made him wonder if Hiroki was actually flexible enough to reach his toes which was a thought Toru immediately decided to place next to Ryota’s ugly laugh.  
  
“Toru, I’m so sorry for being late, I didn’t expect the landlord to take so long!” Toru didn’t know how to react at the sudden outburst of his neighbour and kept looking down at Hiroki in confusion instead, sincerely hoping the other wasn’t waiting for him to tell him that he could raise his head again. He had not even considered Hiroki’s late arrival to be of inconvenience, yet he was there in front of his apartment apologising for something this minor. If Toru was to invite him for breakfast now, he might possibly feel even more in debt. And if Toru happened to sneeze with Prada around and Hiroki put two and two together would he feel guilty even? Toru felt the panic rise anew and spoke before he thought, a habit he definitely needed to learn to let go of, at least when being around more or less strangers.  
  
“No!” was the first word that came to his mind which did not make much sense as an answer in the given context, as the both of them eventually realised with Hiroki slowly getting up again and considering Toru with a raised eyebrow, and the taller man feeling a dangerous warmth creep up his neck. “No, I mean...I uh, I overslept anyway, so good for me that you didn’t come sooner.” Toru scratched the back of his head and tried to laugh the fact away that this statement now probably made him seem like an irresponsible guy who couldn’t even set his alarm properly. If it had been Ryota or Tomoya standing in front of him, they would have been able to see right through his lie within one point two seconds, Toru knew he was bad at lying and an open book to those who knew him better but he hoped his act was paying off enough to at least fool someone that barely knew his mannerisms.  
  
Hiroki considered Toru for a few seconds that allowed him to take notice of the messy black hair once again, a few strands hanging into his dark eyes. The smaller man was wearing a white oversized t-shirt and grey sweatpants, the look contrasted the business outfit that Toru had seen him in the evening before and presented a whole new side of the man. If this was Hiroki’s usual Sunday morning outfit then Toru would make sure to invite his new neighbour over for breakfast on a regular basis, especially on weekends. Hiroki smiled shily and quickly looked past Toru into his apartment, reminding the other of his original plan.  
  
“Still, doesn’t look too good when the new neighbour cannot even make it on time though, does it? I’m sorry for the additional trouble, you were hesitant taking Prada from the beginning after all,” he started but Toru shook his head.  
  
“I promise you it’s fine. The people that usually visit me aren’t to be expected until two hours after our appointed time, so you’re practically over-punctual.” Toru felt his smile widen at the mention of Ryota and Tomoya but knew better than to refer to them by name, remembering their initial reaction after finding out who Toru was crushing on. Eventually, Hiroki chuckled and perhaps it was one of the nicest sounds Toru had ever heard.  
  
“I know people like that, too.” Hiroki’s face softened and for a second Toru thought he noticed a hint of wistfulness in the other’s expression that however faded so quickly he couldn’t with certainty say that it had not been his imagination making things up. Before he got lost in his mind which always tended to over-analyse minor occurrences the other continued speaking and Toru was, though he couldn’t exactly tell why, thankful for the change of topic. “So, I hope Prada behaved?”  
  
“Yes, she did, very much. You were right when you said she’s well behaved.” The smile Hiroki gave him somehow reminded Toru of a proud parent and he remembered the face Tomoya’s mother had made at her son’s graduation ceremony when he had received his Dean’s Honour List certificate. Silence stretched between them until Toru stepped aside.  
  
“Uhm, please come in.”  
  
Toru decided not to creep around Hiroki as he untied his shoes upon entering the apartment and went further into the kitchen instead where he had turned off the stove shortly before answering the door. He found Prada sit on the dining table not far from his plate and hoped she hadn’t left her fur on what he planned to eat from. He kept from lifting her off the dark surface, very much aware of his allergy and was already busy trying to ignore the itching of his nose in the mere presence of the cat. When Hiroki came in sight she meowed and jumped off the table and Toru felt his heart melt watching the other pick her up. The way he held the small creature spoke of intimacy and Toru suddenly understood why giving her away to move into a new apartment had been out of the question for Hiroki. He wondered for how long he had owned her at this point.  
  
“Avril Lavigne, interesting,” Hiroki commented and Toru noticed that he had completely blended out the music that was still playing in the background. Blushing, he rushed towards his phone and closed Spotify, internally cursing that out of all the artists in the playlist it had to be his (though he never really admitted to this) middle school crush greeting Hiroki. “I had thought you would be more into Blink or Green Day.”  
  
“Well, as a matter of fact,” Toru started and shoved his phone into his back pocket with more force than necessary. “I _am_ into them. But Let Go was a good album too, alright.” He could still feel the warmth in his cheeks but chose to ignore it because it seemed like Hiroki did the same as he looked around the kitchen, his eyes pausing on the plate with pancakes.  
  
“Are you expecting someone?” He asked, his eyes fixating on Toru again and he guessed the other was weighting if he had to leave again right away before his assumed visit would drop by.  
  
“I, uh…no,” he stammered, considering the single plate on the table before looking back at Hiroki, finding him to have tilted his head just slightly. The heat in his face intensified. “But maybe...you wanna join? I think that’s too many pancakes for a single person anyway.” Toru felt his heart skip a beat when Hiroki wavered for a second but eventually smiled up at Toru, lifting a big bundle of worries off his shoulders.  
  
Around 15 minutes later, after Toru had prepared coffee for the both of them and assured Hiroki that he did not expect anyone despite the suspiciously big mountain of pancakes, they were both seated opposite each other at the table, covering their breakfast in jam and maple syrup while Prada slept soundlessly on the carpet. Hiroki had not asked about the ingredients so Toru’s previous worries about the man being vegan had been for nothing. Just as expected. Toru had put the ‘Best of 2000s Rock’ playlist back on, determined to showcase that he had not intentionally chosen Complicated to cook to, though it was something he definitely could see his younger self doing (and his present self in weak moments, but he would not admit that aloud).   
  
“These are really good!” Hiroki said with unmistakable surprise in his voice, his hand covering his mouth while speaking, slowly chewing on the bite he just took. Toru wondered for a second if he was supposed to take offense to that since it seemed like his guest had not expected them to be tasty in the first place. His eyes wandered off to the elegant fingers that were curled around the silver fork before focusing on Hiroki’s face again, hoping the other had no noticed.  
  
“Uh...thanks?”  
  
“I mean,” Hiroki tried again, swallowing. “ _Really_ good. Fancy hotel breakfast level good.” He smiled around his fork as he took another bite and Toru felt his tummy tingle at the compliment. He had Tomoya and Ryota swoon over whatever he brought home almost everyday but it felt different hearing it from Hiroki, not least because the man evidently did not do it with the intention of making sure Toru would not stop providing.   
  
He chuckled, feeling genuinely flattered. “Thanks. That’s good to hear since I do it for a living.” Hiroki looked up from the cup he had just taken a sip from.  
  
“Making pancakes?”  
  
Toru laughed. “I meant cooking but you’re not wrong, I guess. I’m a kitchen chef.” Hiroki’s eyes widened in surprise and the plump lips formed a silent _‘oh’_. Toru took a bite from his own plate, pleased with the pancake’s consistency. He’d switched up the recipe they had used up until last year at the restaurant a little for a fluffier outcome, the response from their customers had been overwhelmingly positive and Toru had mentally shoved his middle finger into his co-chef’s face, who fundamentally opposed everything Toru did.  
  
“You look surprised,” he noted. Hiroki closed his mouth again and looked past Toru around the kitchen, obviously fidgeting with his words.  
  
“I mean,” he started, chewing on the inside of his cheek for a second. “To be honest, you don’t look like someone I would imagine standing in a professional kitchen. No offense!” The short disclaimer made Toru laugh again and he considered telling Hiroki what his first impression if him had been but eventually decided against it.  
  
“No offense taken. But what did you think I looked like instead, I’m wondering?” Hiroki’s shoulders relaxed noticeably when Toru said he didn’t mind his comment and pursed his lips when thinking about his answer. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Can’t Stop played in the background and Toru found himself tapping his fingers against his half-empty cup of coffee to the rhythm of John Frusciante’s guitar playing. He thought about the questions that he had wanted to ask Hiroki earlier that morning and wondered if he would already get the opportunity to get them answered today.  
  
“You have piercings and bleached hair, so an office job was out of the question right away but like, I thought maybe a police officer? Because I mean, you look fit and you’re tall.” Toru raised his eyebrow in amusement at Hiroki’s words. When Toru was a child he had actually wanted to join the police once the time had come but soon enough he had learned about all the qualifications one had to attest to become an officer and decided that there were several other interesting (and less requiring) careers out there. He also tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that apparently Hiroki thought he looked fit, though it made him wet his lips.  
  
When he told Hiroki the little story the look of surprise returned to the man’s soft features. “So I haven’t been that far off!” he said and reached for the orange juice Toru had placed between them shortly before.  
  
“Looks like it.”  
  
“But I still wonder, how did you end up being a kitchen chef? If I may ask.” Hiroki’s whole attention was on him, Toru noticed nervously, and he filled his glass with juice too despite not even craving the sour taste right then.  
  
“Hm.” He considered the glass in his hand for a second where a single drop on the rim slid back down the outside wall where his aim had been a little off. “I always liked cooking, both my parents worked full-time so I had to learn to feed myself from a young age. I’m a single child too, so there was no elder sibling that I could rely on or something. Okay, this sounds super dramatic, but honestly it wasn’t.” Toru took a sip from the glass, grimacing at the sourness and wondered if he was over-sharing.  
  
“Anyway, when I finished high school I tried business school because that’s what everyone else did but dropped out after only one semester. I was really unhappy at that time so my...friends suggested I should do something that I actually found joy in, at least until I found solid ground.” Again, Toru made sure not to mention Ryota’s and Tomoya’s names, though it felt like betraying Hiroki in a way. The other man’s eyes were locked on his, attentively following his words when Toru continued.  
  
“Around that time a friend of ours had opened his own restaurant near my home and was looking for staff. I had no qualification or field experience whatsoever but he still gave me a chance and I swore that I wouldn’t fuck it up. It had meant to be a temporary job but I found myself really loving what I did and decided I wanted to do it professionally. And yeah, 3 years later I had my degree.” Hiroki nodded in acknowledgement and Toru didn’t miss the hint of admiration in his eyes. He hadn’t really thought of his story to make an impression but Hiroki seemed to think otherwise.  
  
“That sounds amazing, to be honest. Finding out what you want to do in life. I think it was very brave of you to follow your heart and drop out of college too, a lot of people don’t have the balls.” Toru bit his bottom lip to refrain from asking whether Hiroki spoke from first-hand experience. That’d cross multiple boundaries. Instead he only chuckled, remembering some of the drama.  
  
“Yeah well, it wasn’t like my parents were okay with me dropping out right away and we fought a lot, like I said I’m their only child. What reassured them eventually was knowing that I was gonna work and thus would be able to take my share in our bills until I figured out what I wanted to do, I think.”  
  
Hiroki nodded. “That makes sense. Still very nice of them to be considerate of your feelings.” The same wistfulness Toru had seen cross Hiroki’s face standing in front of his apartment door seemed to return for a second, however, gone too soon for him to address.  
  
“Yeah, I’ll forever be thankful for that.” Neither of them said something for awhile as they both finished their breakfast in silence. The silence wasn’t exactly uncomfortable but Toru didn’t fail to notice the tension the end of their conversation had left hanging in the air. The questions he wanted to ask Hiroki were burning on his tongue but he wasn’t sure if he was in any position to place them, and he was worried he’d press the wrong buttons by accident if he tried. He’d have to be careful.   
  
Clearing his throat, he put his dirty cutlery down. “So, you’re gonna talk about yourself now or do I have to guess first too?” He watched Hiroki mirror his action, then tilt his head.  
  
“I’d like to see you try,” he said in a challenging tone that Toru found himself perhaps enjoying a little too much and he did his best to play over the fact that he already more or less knew what Hiroki worked as, or at least where. He would try to draw to conclusions based on what he had seen and heard from Hiroki so far while trying to ignore the playful expression on the other man’s face.  
  
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “When I first met you, you wore pretty expensive looking clothes so it must be a job with pretty good salary. And assuming those were your work clothes, an office job can actually not be ruled out because it was nothing too striking.” Hiroki gave a small nod but Toru couldn’t tell if it was a gesture of agreement or simply signalising that his guest was following his words. He stroked his chin as he was elaborating his thoughts further.  
  
“Your outfit looked good though, I mean, it was stylish.” That Hiroki had looked particularly good in those high end clothes was a given fact but Toru would swallow those words down for now. He chuckled nervously. Technically he didn’t know what exactly Hiroki’s position in the company was, even after his talk with Ryota and Tomoya, so he could simply shoot a wild guess. “Marketing department?”  
  
Hiroki set down his empty cup and considered Toru through amused eyes, a lopsided smile on his face. “Well, no,” he eventually said. “But nice try.”  
  
Toru felt his neck tingle. “But was I close?”  
  
Hiroki’s throat left a low chuckle and he leaned back in his seat. “I majored in engineering and now work for my family’s company. It seems that a local enterprise is interested in a joint venture for an upcoming project and I’m...managing the group they are in negotiations with. That’s basically why I moved here.” From his friends’ previous explanations on how influential Hiroki’s family was and what an effect he could potentially have on his father in case Toru messed up, Toru couldn’t shake the impression off that the man was selling himself short. He guessed that talking about his status wasn’t exactly something Hiroki fancied, so he wouldn’t dig deeper.  
  
“So, at least one of us pulled through with college,” he said and Hiroki laughed before watching Prada still peacefully lying on the carpet, though awake now, for a few seconds.  
  
“To be quite honest, I didn’t have much of a choice. My two elder brothers majored in engineering as well to join the company so everyone kind of expected me to do the same.” Hiroki’s voice conveyed a certain bitterness and Toru wondered if it was intentional. “Honestly, it’s not that I mind my field of work, but getting constantly compared to what your siblings had already achieved at your age is something that I can easily live without.” Toru nodded, though he could only partly understand how it must feel like to be measured up against someone else in everything you did. He had felt a certain pressure during his time at college when his mother wouldn’t stop reminding him of the straight A’s Tomoya got while Toru was stuck between C’s and D’s despite his best efforts, but he guessed this was different since there was no bloodbond between him and his childhood friend. He wondered how many years lay between Hiroki and his brothers but decided he should ask this some other time, it was obviously not a topic the man liked to talk about.  
  
“I see you’re into music?” Toru looked up from his plate where he had fixated his eyes on a yellow spot of yolk without really having noticed. His expression seemed to speak of confusion as to where this question was coming from all of a sudden until Hiroki nodded towards Toru’s open living room. From where they sat the big shelves were visible, a little more chaotic than usual since Toru had been looking for a certain album a few days ago only to remember ten minutes into his search that Ryota and borrowed it from him some time ago. Not having bothered to organise his collection again, some CDs were still messily lying atop of others and most of them weren’t aligned properly. It hadn’t really bothered Toru until now that Hiroki was exposed to the display.  
  
“Ah,” Toru scratched the back of his head. “Yeah I guess the collection has grown quite a bit over the years.”  
  
“I also spotted a guitar on my way in.” Toru’s eyes moved to where his sofa was blocking the view on the white Gibson guitar. “I assume you actually know how to play and it’s not just some kind of decoration.”  
  
“Yeah, I know how to play the guitar,” he said and got up, suddenly feeling the overwhelming urge to at least put some of the CDs lying around his living room back in their original spot. He felt Hiroki’s eyes on his back and looked over his shoulder to see the other slowly get up as well and follow him further into the apartment. “Actually, during high school I was playing in a band.”  
  
“Oh wow, that’s cool,” Hiroki beamed at him and Toru chuckled at the man’s straightforwardness. “What kind of band?”  
  
“Instrumental,” he answered, sorting some albums by name that he had completely forgotten about. “We never really went out of our way to look for a vocalist and composing music alone was fun enough.” Toru remembered when Ryota had asked him to join the band that he had recently become the bassist of. It had not taken much conviction since the both of them had been pretty obsessed with rock bands at that time, dropping by Tower Records almost every day despite having no money for the month anymore. In retrospect, they both had still pretty much sucked at what they did when they had started out, but they had been students still and prioritised fun over skill. It had been easy to enjoy themselves.  
  
“But you disbanded.” It was a conclusion but Toru guessed Hiroki still wished for elaboration.  
  
“Eventually, yes. Our second guitarist graduated high school and moved away and when our drummer became more and more busy with studying for his entry exams, rehearsals became rare and we chose to disband.” When they had enrolled college Toru remembered that he and Ryota and wanted to form another band, this time with Tomoya too, but they soon had to realise that between homework, projects and part-time jobs, there was barely any time for rehearsals. It had sucked at that time but despite all the struggles things had turned out well in the end with all of them working in positions they enjoyed now while still spending time together.  
  
Toru slowed his movements when Hiro spoke up. “In college, l sometimes dropped by my...friend’s band’s rehearsal. I would sometimes do the singing but despite them asking me several times I never seriously considered joining. I was already more than busy with my studies, so weekly rehearsals or even performances on the weekend would have been overkill,” he explained while watching Toru organise his shelf.  
  
“So if you joined a band today, you’d be the vocalist?” Toru asked and Hiroki grinned, brushing hair from his forehead.  
  
“I mean, I sang a lot when I was younger, my parents would actually teach me and my brothers how to play the piano when we were kids. But singing in front of a big audience? A big no from me.” Toru was more and more impressed with Hiroki’s upbringing and wondered if all wealthy families were that ambitious to educate their children in all sorts of fields. He side-eyed Hiroki and found him reading the CD backs, his lips slightly parted as he soundlessly mouthed some of the artists’ names and Toru found himself smile at his neighbour’s adorableness.  
  
He had not expected the talk they had the following hour to go that smoothly although he felt like he had been the one babbling most of the time. They started out talked about their jobs and what they were doing at the moment (though Toru noticed Hiroki did his best not to give too much away, which he did not mind), then about more general things such as movies and music. The latter led to the realisation that apparently Hiroki had very recently seen a band live that Toru was a fan of since college. The utter shock on his face upon realising that he had not even known they had already come to a venue near his apartment multiple times had made Hiroki laugh so hard he had caught a hiccup afterwards. It was easy talking with Hiroki and it was fun learning more about the other. Toru had already been aware of his physical attraction towards the man, naturally, but his interest only increased when he learned that, evidently, Hiroki was not only beautiful but also intelligent and quick at comebacks. Only when Hiroki started collecting his things after they had realised that it was past eleven already, and Hiroki apparently still had work to do, Toru remembered that he still had no idea whether there even was a chance of dating the man. He groaned internally at his helplessness.  
  
“Thank you so much for taking care of Prada, and also for the unexpected meal, I guess. If you happen to cook too much again in the future, don’t hesitate knocking on my door, chef,” Hiro said with a cheeky grin and Toru sucked in a breath at the nickname. He immediately regretted his automatic reaction, given the fact that Hiro only stood a mere few centimetres away from him and held Prada in his arms, the small creature completely oblivious to the struggle he caused Toru, even his sneeze left her unfazed.  
  
“Bless y-,” Hiroki started but another sneeze interrupted him.  
  
Toru held his nose. “Sorry, there must be...must be something in my, uh, nose.” He grinned and Hiroki shook his head in amusement.  
  
“Make sure not to fall sick,” he said, opening Toru’s apartment door. “And also don’t forget inviting me!”  
  
Toru considered the man from head to toe one last time, ignoring his racing heart and his inner voice calling him a dumb idiot for not having been able to gather the most important information. “You’ll be the first one to receive my very exclusive invitation.” Ryota and Tomoya would hate him for placing them second rank but then again they walked in whenever it pleased them anyway.  
  
“I appreciate that, chef.”  
  
“Wow, Toru,” Ryota said a few hours later, not even looking up from the game of Smash he and Tomoya were playing on their TV. Toru usually avoided his friends’ messy apartment but between empty pizza cartons and dirty laundry and an apartment full of cat hair, he definitely knew his preference for the afternoon.  
  
“Oh my God, I know, okay.” Toru’s head rested on his friends’ dining table from where he watched the two men scream at each other through half-closed eyes. He had asked Tomoya to text him when they would be done with work so he could come over and complain about his own helplessness. Naturally, the reaction he got from the two was laughter and remarks on his stupidity instead of encouraging words.  
  
“Congrats on still being at square one, Toru,” Tomoya joked and looked at his friend for a second before focusing on the game again. It didn’t surprise Toru much that his two ‘best’ friends preferred kicking each other’s ass through a video game than listen to him and his “embarrassing story” (Ryota’s words). Honestly, he’d probably do the same. Craving for attention, he groaned out loud.  
  
“At least act as if I didn’t mess up completely.”  
  
“I mean you didn’t,” Ryota said, leaning forward. “The plan was to get to know him, wasn’t it?”  
  
“Yeah, but-” Toru was interrupted by Tomoya shouting insults that he would have to see his boss for if he used them at work and once again Toru was thankful that Ms. Singer wouldn’t hear any of this. He sighed, but at least the two of them put their controllers down, ready to take a short break. They had asked Toru to join in but the man was too busy taking a mental bath in his own misery than to find the motivation to remember the best combos for the characters he usually played in order to win the round.  
  
“I was joking man, you wanted to get to know him better, right?” Tomoya tried again, turning around in his armchair so he could properly face Toru. “And as far as I understood that worked out just fine, so why are you crying? Because you don’t know if there’s a chance for you to get into his pants?”  
  
The way Tomoya made it sound had Toru roll his eyes, more at himself than at his friend though. “No, I mean...I don’t know man, I’m just worried…”  
  
“About what?” Ryota asked and got up to join Toru at the table. Sitting next to him he supported his head on his hand and looked down at his friend. “That you’re not getting D?”  
  
Toru’s head snapped up. “No!” Two pairs of eyes blinked at him and he awkwardly cleared his throat. “It’s not about that, obviously.”  
  
“Well, to be honest, you make it sound like _that_ though.”  
  
“But it’s not.” Toru got up from the table and looked at his hands before he pressed them onto his eyes. He had felt his headache approach for the past 2 hours, probably because of his running thoughts and worries, and hoped hoped the dull pain would be gone by tomorrow morning or else he would have to take an ibuprofen before heading out to work. He sighed again. “It’s just...I’m honestly interested, you know.”  
  
“Yeah, we can see that,” Ryota assured and patted his friend’s back. “It’s been awhile since you were actually into someone.”  
  
“Think positive, whatever happens, it can only be better than your last almost-fling,” Tomoya added and Ryota did his best to hold back his laughter when he remembered the guy Toru had met in a bar on one particular night a few months ago and in the end followed to a love hotel where he had been greeted by the guy’s two other partners, already waiting for their arrival. Toru had excused himself to use the bathroom and swore to this day that he had never in his life run faster.  
  
“Please don’t remind me,” he groaned at the memory.  
  
“I still hope to encounter him one more time whenever we’re drinking a beer there to get all those spicy details that you weren’t willed to talk about,” Ryota joked and Toru shot a death-glare in his direction.  
  
“You wouldn’t dare.”  
  
“Nah, he wouldn’t.” Tomoya said and slowly strolled towards them.  
  
“In all honesty, I think at this point you should play with open cards, that’d only be fair,” he said and Toru saw Ryota from the corner of his eye nod in agreement. “The worst that could happen is that he turns you down, but getting your heart broken now would at least hurt less than once you declared him to be the love of your life half a year into whatever this is.”  
  
“How about ‘hey Hiroki, I’m trying to get into your pants, fyi, but if you’re not ready for the whole gay thing yet, I could only suck you off for now’?” Tomoya choked on his spit while Ryota lost it next to him.  
  
“Dude, 50 bucks if you actually do that!”  
  
“No!” Toru and Tomoya said in unison.  
  
Ryota raised his hands in defense. “I swear, it’d work on me.”  
  
Toru took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. “And even if you were the last fucking man on earth, this mouth would go nowhere near you.”  
  
“Ouch, Toru,” Ryota said and placed his hand over his heart, wiping away an imaginary tear with the other.  
  
“I assume you’re smarter than to articulate it like that.” When a beeping sound came from the kitchen, Tomoya got up to get the lasagna they had placed in the oven shortly after Toru’s arrival.  
  
“Thanks for your trust in me,” Toru grumbled rather to himself and heard Ryota snicker next to him.  
  
“All jokes aside man, Tomoya’s right. Just tell him, at least you’ll get your answer, whatever it may be.” Before Toru could counter (though he didn’t know what to say anyway, knowing his friends were right on this one), Ryota got up to set the table for the three of them.  
  
“Besides,” Tomoya started, placing the steaming food in the middle of the table and stepped aside when Ryota came back with the plates. “If you actually get him to bed please moan into his ear to agree to our conditions because that’d save our company a lot of struggle.”  
  
Toru looked up dumbfoundedly while Ryota dropped the cutlery and lost it for a second time in barely three minutes.


End file.
